At each monthly meeting of the local garden club, a raffle is held. For one dollar, members can win something — usually a plant — donated by another club member.
In the past, I’ve won a sturdy plastic hand rake, a sprouting Everglades tomato plant, and an orchid — small items that don’t take up a lot of space in the shed or garden.
Mostly, though, purchasing a raffle at the meeting is a chance to support the club.
Club raffles are an interesting beast — or rather, the club members themselves are. Some members like to stack the basket and so they purchase five to ten dollars worth of tickets. Others, like me, are more conservative — just a dollar and a dream.
The thing is, I’ve never dreamed of winning a tree — especially this tree — and yet, here I am with the winning ticket and my new tree.
Officially, it’s called plumeria tree, but most people refer to it as frangipani — and I’m so glad they do. I plan on getting a lot of mileage from a tree with a name that sounds more human than botanical.
Kind of like, “Nobody makes a lasagna like your Aunt Fran Gipani from Brooklyn.”
All kidding aside, though, I first noticed the tree in the yards of several neighbors. How could it not be noticed? Big oval leaves and clusters of flowers in shades of pink, red, yellow, and white — and sometimes in blushing combinations of these colors.
Yes, frangipani, much like Aunt Fran Gipani when she was in her prime, made all the boys in the neighborhood say, “How you doin’?”
As I observed the neighbors’ trees, though, I also noticed that frangipani has a cycle that’s more northern than tropical.
And therein lies the crux of my frangipani quandary. When I left New York for Florida, I thought my raking days and snow shoveling days were behind me.
While it has yet to snow in any measurable amount in zone 10, leaves apparently fall. The greatest culprits are trees such as mahogany and jacaranda an the one across the canal from my backyard (pictured below), which are briefly deciduous. These are trees that, in a matter of weeks in the spring, shed their leaves, remain barren, and then re-bloom.
April 25, 2014
May 15, 2014
These were the trees I told myself to avoid. Raking was not going to be on my list of Florida gardening chores.
Enter frangipani, a tree that is much more deciduous than briefly. As the weather cools — yes, weather does cool in south Florida — frangipani drops its leaves. With the approach of spring, leaves and flowers emerge — so much so that it’s sad, sad winter state is easy to forget, easy to overlook.
And so here I am with my raffle prize, which was propagated from the tree of another garden club member. She simply cut branches from her own tree, which is filled with a milky sap, and allowed the cut end to skin over. She then placed the cuttings in dirt, where they easily rooted.
As I stare at my little tree, I’m considering the small cluster of leaves at the crown, the ones that will — at some point — fall to the ground. I don’t think I’ll need to rake them. They’re large enough to pick up by hand, like a game of 52-Pick Up, Aunt Fran Gipani’s favorite card game.
“The kid falls for it every time,” I can hear her say after rapidly flicking the cards across the living room floor.
I’m also thinking of the clusters of night-fragrant flowers, the essential oils of which are often used in perfumes and lotions. They’re also used in Hawaiian leis. I’ll have to keep the tree pruned so the blossoms aren’t too far from my nose.
Even before a flower has appeared, I feel myself falling for this little tree, more quickly than it can drop a single leaf. Yes, frangipani, much like Aunt Fran Gipani, barged into my life and pinched both of my cheeks — with gusto.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Man 
Connections. I love that you caught that. Beyond the beauty, beneath even the work of a garden, for me there are memories and emotions evoked by every plant or tree. I laughed when I read about Aunt Fran Gipani, and then I thought, “Wait…I do that, too.” Thanks for the smiles and the wonderful photos!
Hi Linda — glad I could give you a Sunday morning chuckle. 🙂 I think we always need to laugh — especially these days. Be well!
Yay! I love frangipani trees. We have 12 that we grew from seeds sent to us by a friend in Miami. We have to bring them into the garage in our brief winters but they are worth every tug into the garage.
Hi Modern Mia. I am completely captured by frangipani’s spell. I’m waiting to see how my baby blooms before I start venturing into the other colors. 🙂
How intriguing that it seems to not have a traditional center of stamen, pollen, etc.
Hi PD. Good call. I’m looking forward to watching my own tree flower — I’m just not sure how old it needs to be.
Next, win the rake! I don’t think of FL having trees with falling leaves much either. Palms yes, but trees dropping leaves to rake?
Hi Donna. LOL! Everyday is a learning experience down here. 🙂
My one and only plumeria is the same color as your new tree, Kevin. I love it when it blooms, and then, as you have observed, the rest of the time it is just a very prominent stick! The good thing is that they are very hearty in our climate zones. I think I’d enjoy some other colors, too, but I will more than likely put them in large pots. I think that would be a good alternative when they’re in their unattractive phase. i do encourage as little raking and garden cleanup as you can manage!
Hi Debra. A local nursery recently had some other colors for sale. Boy, was I tempted to plant a plumeria forest! I think for the moment, though, I’ll stick with this hot pink number and see how it goes. I’m glad it does well for you — I get the sense that it’s more drought tolerant than many other trees/shrubs.
You will need a gardener to rake those leaves for you…I’m on my way ☺
JANE!!! I’d even supply my own rake for you. 🙂
It seems like having to pick up a few leaves once a year (or finding a way to entice neighborhood kids to pick them up 😉 ) is a small price to pay for those beautiful flowers.
Hi Jean. I agree! I’ll probably do the picking up myself — it seems that as I’ve aged, there are less and less neighborhood kids who are willing to lend a hand. (That could be a rant for another day.)
I wouldn’t have thought of raking leaves in Florida either. That’s quite a showy gem of a tree – much like I imagine an Aunt Fran Gipani would be! Very cute.
Hey Indie. It’s still a surprise to me! Personally, I’ve never witnessed anyone raking — there’s just a lot of leaf blowing and mower mulching, probably because rakes and St. Augustine grass don’t really go with one another.
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Thanks for stopping by, Dish Dessert. I just glanced at your site, but I want to return to really explore your recipes. Be well!
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